Product Safety Checklist
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From cribs to car seats, are your kids safe? Check it out! If you care for young children, you probably have many products to help you look after them. But you may not know that some children's products can seriously hurt a child.
Do you know which children's products to avoid? Are you sure that you use products correctly?
This checklist can help you learn how to keep your child safe. Use this list to check products:
- in your home
- in other homes that your child visits (for example your child's daycare or grandparents' home)
- when you shop for children's products (either new or second-hand)
- if someone gives or lends you a children's product
Check for product recalls
Sometimes a product is recalled by the company that made it. This usually happens if there is a serious problem with the product that makes it dangerous. Even if the product is fairly new, always check to make sure that it has not been recalled. Some recalls are very recent. You can check on product recalls by calling the company or visiting their Web site. If you buy a new product, be sure to fill in the product registration card and send it back right away. This will help the company contact you if the product is recalled.
Baby walkers with wheels
Children can be badly hurt while using baby walkers. Children can hurt their heads if they fall downstairs in a walker. Do not use a baby walker for your child. It will not help your child learn to walk, and puts him or her at risk for serious injuries. Walkers are not safe to use even if your home has baby gates at the top of stairs. Many falls in walkers have happened when baby gates were left open.Even if you are in the same room, your child can be hurt in a walker. Most injuries happen when the parent is close by. Babies can move very quickly in a walker and can reach things on a table or counter. Babies have been scalded by pulling hot food or drinks onto themselves. Some parents use walkers because their babies like to sit up and move their legs. Instead of a walker, use an activity centre without wheels. But make sure that your child cannot reach dangers like hot drinks, blind cords, or electrical appliances.
Baby bath seats
Many parents like to use a bath seat because it keeps their hands free to wash the baby. But babies left alone in bath seats have drowned. It is never safe to leave a baby alone in the bath, not even for a few seconds. Bath seats are not safety devices. Some babies in bath seats almost drowned even when their parents were in the bathroom. This is because the suction cups on the bottom of the bath seats did not stick properly to the bathtubs. The babies fell over into the water. Do not use a baby bath seat. It is not a product that you need to look after your baby. It is not worth taking the risk.
Playpens
Millions of playpens have been recalled for safety reasons. In some cases, children died when a side of the playpen fell down and trapped their necks.
Cribs
Cribs made before 1986 are dangerous. Some children died in older cribs when the part supporting the mattress fell down and they became trapped. Other babies have died when they slipped between crib bars that were too far apart and their heads got caught.
Baby gates
Baby gates are used at the top or bottom of stairs or in open doorways to prevent toddlers from falling downstairs or entering unsafe areas. There are two basic types of gates - pressure gates and hardware-mounted gates. Pressure gates stay in place by using a bar that fits against the doorframe with pressure. Pressure gates can be easily moved from one place to another. Hardware-mounted gates are attached permanently to the wall or doorframe by screws. .
Blind and curtain cords
Be sure to use window blinds and curtains safely. Children have died when their heads got caught in the cords. Most young children who died could reach the cords from their cribs.
Bunk beds
Some young children have died using bunk beds that do not meet safety standards. Their heads were caught in the gaps between the guard rails. Others have suffocated when they slipped between the mattress and the guard rail, or between the mattress and the wall. Children have also been badly injured in falls from the top bunk. Most of these children were under age 6. .
Strollers
Many children are injured when they fall out of strollers because the safety straps are not used. Children can also slide down and get their heads caught in the leg opening if they are not wearing their safety straps.
High chairs
Most children are hurt by falling from high chairs when the safety straps are not used. Children can also slide down and get their heads caught between the tray and the chair if they are not wearing their safety straps.
Hook-on chairs
Hook-on chairs attach to the edge of a table. Many children fall from these chairs when the straps are not used. Children can also fall out of hook-on chairs when they come loose from the table. More...
Change tables
Many babies are hurt when they roll off change tables. A baby can roll over and fall from a change table in the few seconds it takes to reach for a diaper.
Toy box and chests
Children have been badly hurt when toy box lids fell on their heads or necks. Some children have died when they became trapped inside a toy chest and could not breathe. How to choose a safe toy box or chest? Choose a toy box or chest that has a lightweight lid and a good hinge that stops the lid from slamming down. Remove the lid if it does not have this kind of hinge. Make sure that the toy box or chest has holes in the side or front so that air can get inside.
Drawstrings on children's clothing
Children have been strangled when the drawstrings on the hood or neck of their clothing got caught on playground equipment, fences or other things. Remove all drawstrings from the head and neck area of children's clothing. When buying children's shirt or jackets choose items that do not use drawstrings to close. Instead, choose items that use elastics, buttons, velcro or snaps.
Car seats
Do not use a second-hand car seat unless you have the instructions and know that it has not been in a crash or been recalled. It should also have all the parts and a label that says it meets Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Do not use a car seat that is more than 10 years old. The plastics start to wear out. Check the car seat label to find out when it was made. Also check the instructions for your car seat. Some car seats are safe for only 6 years.
Always use the right kind of car seat for your child. Make sure you use it correctly.
Keep a car seat on the floor, rather than a table or counter. Babies can rock themselves right off the edge or be knocked over. Car seats can tip over easily. Do not leave them on soft surfaces like a bed or sofa. Your baby could fall over and be suffocated. Never use a car seat as a crib. Children have died when they slipped down and became tangled in the straps. Babies sometimes fall asleep in their infant car seat while they are in the car. If you carry your sleeping child indoors in his or her infant car seat, keep the straps on and watch your child closely until you move him or her to the crib.
Baby carriers
Always use the safety straps when using a baby carrier. Do not leave your baby unattended in the baby carrier for long periods of time.
Never use a baby carrier in a car unless it is labeled for that purpose. Keep a baby carrier on the floor, rather than a table or counter. Babies can rock themselves right off the edge or be knocked over.Baby carriers can tip over easily. Do not leave them on soft surfaces like a bed or sofa. Your baby could fall over and be suffocated.
Hockey and bike helmets
Many parents do not realize that the plastics and foam in helmets starts to get weak after about 5 years. This means that the helmets no longer offer the same amount of protection. Do not use a helmet that is older than 5 years, even if it looks brand new. Check the label inside the helmet to find out how old it is. If it does not have a label, and you do not know the age, do not use it. Do not use a bike helmet that has been in a crash. If you do not know whether it has been in a crash, do not use it. (Hockey helmets are different - they are designed to take several crashes.) Make sure your child wears a safe helmet when he or she skates or rides a bike or a scooter.
Toys and balloons
Choose toys suitable for the age of your child. Toys with small parts are not suitable for children under age 3. Keep them out of their reach.To check if a toy or a toy part is a choking hazard, put it through a cardboard toilet paper roll. Anything that fits inside the tube is a choking hazard for children under age 3.Choose toys that do not have any sharp edges or points.Latex balloons are not safe for small children. Pieces of popped balloon can cause children to choke. Do not let your child play with them. Use foil balloons instead. Teach older children to never put balloons near their mouths.
Bib ties and pacifiers
Never tie a pacifier around your baby's neck. Instead, clip the pacifier to your baby's clothes with a cord that is less than 18 centimetres or 7 inches long. Replace your baby's pacifier every 2 months or when it is torn or cracked. Do not leave your baby alone with a bib tied around his or her neck. This could strangle your baby.
Remember, always check for product recalls!
Products are recalled because the company has found something wrong that could be dangerous.
Check to see if your children's products have been recalled. Call the companies or visit their Web sites. Always fill in the product registration card and send it back to the company right away. This will help them contact you if your product has been recalled. Health Canada lists information on product recalls and advisories in Canada and the U.S here.
Where to call if you have concerns about a product
Health Canada has a Product Safety Program with regional offices across Canada. Regional officers look into deaths or injuries related to children's products as well as respond to complaints and enquiries from consumers, industry and community partners.
Safe Kids Canada is the national injury prevention program of the Hospital for Sick Children. For more information about children's safety call 1888 SAFE TIPS.
